HSC students commit suicide

Depressed over failing some papers after the results were declared online on Friday, one student jumped to her death while another overdosed on medicine

In two shocking incidents, two Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) students ended their lives on Friday after failing in some papers of the HSC board exams.

Dashrat Bhagwan Shelke, an 18 year-old student of the commerce stream from Ruparel College, committed suicide by taking an overdose of an unidentified medicine on the evening of May 25 after he failed in two subjects in the board exam, the results of which were declared earlier that day. Shelke, a resident of Dharavi, was rushed to Sion hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. His viscera has been sent to the forensic Lab in Kalina, Santacruz, for a post-mortem.

Mahesh Shelke, Dashrath’s elder brother said, “Dashrath checked his results online around 2 pm. My father and I were out on work the whole day. We returned home around 7.30 pm and found him lying unconscious. We rushed him to Sion Hospital immediately.”

Another HSC student, 19 year-old Jayashri Ramesh Belote, committed suicide by jumping off the fourth floor balcony of her residence at CGS colony in Antop Hill at 11 pm on Friday.

She was rushed to Sion Hospital’s casualty ward where she was also declared dead on arrival.

Assistant police inspector Sudhakar Malgunde of Antop Hill police station said, “Jayashri had appeared for her HSC exams privately. Realising that she had failed her English paper, she was depressed. Her family members were at home when she committed suicide. While everyone was busy with their chores, she sneaked out onto the balcony and jumped.”

The post-mortem report confirmed that Belote’s death was caused due to hemorrhage caused by multiple injuries. After the post-mortem, her body has been taken to her native place at Ahmednagar to perform her last rites. She is survived by her parents and three sisters.